Gardenia lovers invited:)- Ineke Hothouse Flower Sample Pass USA only

Hey guys! Looks like we're back. So, the lovely and generous people from Ineke(not affiliated) have supplied five samples of their new release, Hothouse Flower(a gardenia soliflore), for sampling/testing. Nice huh?. Really good and prompt communication/customer service. Just great.

So, there is plenty to go around here. Each sample is 1.5 ml. Going to guess four people could easily test from each sample(correct me if I am wrong here?). So, there is up to about 20 spots available. So, please..if you like gardenia or even if you are still looking for one you can enjoy, please sign up. And I really don't wanna hear..'oh, I've been in so many sample passes..I couldn't possibly..', I don't wanna here it, lol. You love perfume, ain't nothin' wrong with that.. There's plenty here for sampling. This is for USA only. So, please, only U.S. requests. Thanks.

I guess I can divide this into 5 groups for now, see how many people are interested. If spots don't fill up, I will adjust the numbers.

Slot #1 members, please PM your name and mailing address to me.
Slot #2, #3, #4 in each group can message their name and address to the person who will be shipping to them. Please post your impressions, thoughts, reviews for this scent, whatever they may be. So basically, sample, review it and then pass to the next person as soon as possible.

Just a note..if using a bubble mailer, be sure to use plenty of bubble wrap/good packing methods to ensure vial safety. These are glass vials and don't want them crushed. Just throwing them in a bubble mailer isn't enough, extra packing is needed. Whether it be placed in a small box before the bubble mailer with a good amount of bubble wrap/or lots of bubble wrap with peanuts or something..just be sure to have good packing methods. I have experienced receiving crushed vials due to lack of bubble wrap/packing. Thanks.
Group #1:
1. Jujy54

Group # 2:
1. Genie Jeanie
2. Bookhouseshell
3. Calilove

Group # 3:
1. Whitefluffy
2.Cestrum Nocturnum
3. Quarry

Group # 4:
1. 30 Roses
2. Twolf
3. Glisten

Group # 5:
1.
2.
3.

So, who's in for the pass?

Last edited by kalli; 18th November 2012 at 03:22 AM.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

I agree with 30 Roses' take on gardenia..." I love the smell of real gardenia flowers but have had no success finding a gardenia perfume that I wanted to wear, yet." Has not been my thing so far at ALL, but I'd love to be proven wrong about this beautiful little flower.

They are sprays, the glass vials are clear, so it's easy to see the amount left. I've gotten several wears out of the other Ineke samples I've had. Maybe I will switch it to 3 spots anyway, though, this juice isn't on the light side. Like three sprays and you're good..that's another reason I was thinking 4 spots.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

I would also think 4 not 5 groups, 2-3 people each. Put me somewhere at the very end so that I do not have to ship the dregs to anyone, please? And timing does not really matter, with my going to school and stuff.

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Oh, yeah, please reserve one whole sample for Mimi -- she is away right now -- and when she comes back it would be a nice token to welcome her home. Who knows, she might even like it!

Kalli, if you put me in group 1 after Jujy, I could ship afterward to Twolf and toss in some of the Evelyn Rose for her to try, and maybe end that pass there? Then you'd have sample 2 for Mimi on her return, if you wished to do that. She would probably love to try it.

I have a sample already set for mimi besides the 5..I am giving her my sample and pmd her to let her know. Internet was down so I was unavailable. 5 groups 3 people each I guess, even though 4 could easily test from this I am sure. So, 5 groups cause I have 5 samples and I have a 6th I am giving to Mimi.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

Hey guys! Looks like we're back. So, the lovely and generous people from Ineke(not affiliated) have supplied fivesamples of their new release, Hothouse Flower(a gardenia soliflore), for sampling/testing. Nice huh?. Really good and prompt communication/customer service. Just great.

If you looked at my other reply in the Sweet William I think, Ineke had previously supplied me with one sample..they gave away one sample of HH to whomever ordered from them recently. So, I already stated that they gave me that one and I was giving it to Mimi. Then, after that, I was supplied with 5 more for the pass. My sample for ordering from them was for Mimi. Then a week or so later or however long it was, I got the idea for the pass and was supplied with 5 more specifically for the pass. So I have 6 samples. 6 for you guys, zero for me. LOL. Maybe I should have mentioned it again to clarify. I have adjusted the numbers. I think 4 people could sample from these as this perfume is pretty condensed but I guess that will be officially determined later. 3 people per sample it is. *sigh* BN timing out. Have addresses for Genie and Jujy, will ship out before too long.

Last edited by kalli; 4th October 2012 at 06:10 AM.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

kalli, don't take it to heart, Twolf was just teasing you.
I got 12 samples of Blackberry & Bay-- 2 for us (myself and my husband) and 10 for the sample pass. It's perfectly okay to keep your sample! You are entitled to it.

Also, you can run your sample pass the way you prefer. We may make suggestions, but really it's up to you.

I notice you and I are both having trouble filling up our slots...I think the ladies on the forum must be preoccupied with other, more pressing matters this week. I see you are doing the same thing I'm doing, which is filling one group at a time. It makes sense. There may not be enough interest in either of our sample passes to fill all the groups. If so, that's okay, too.

I didn't take it seriously, just clarifying the numbers there. It did look a bit confusing I suppose. As far as slots.. I was thinking, they aren't being filled anyway..3 is better perhaps. I was about to switch it to 3 anyway I think. All these numbers..I thought of the Count on Sesame St...lol, annoying guy. After internet problems today..I am more like Grouch from the garbage can. Lol. LOL..I am not the biggest gardenia fan..so, giving my samples isn't straining my arm, lol. Plus, the way I am going through my Ineke sample set(specifically E and F, almost gone!)..I may have to order another soon. Though, I gotta say..as a gardenia hater pretty much..I do like some things about this...kinda liked it a bit on some levels. I almost like it, I did catch myself sniffing my arm a few times. Other times..I just get that part of the gardenia flower I don't like. That creamy, zing of the gardenia flower is what I don't like. The indolic, coconut-y part of the gardenia I like..it's just that the flower twists into this creamy, milky, dense..idk. And that's when the party ends for me. Hothouse is really intoxicating, one of the most intoxicating I've smelled I think. I like that part. It definitely draws you in and keeps you there. Can even draw in someone who's not into gardenia at all. It's really well done, imo. I like the sweetness, the woods. Mimi will love it, I am sure. This one does have musk..as I don't think there's a lot in HF, there's just enough to where I have some reaction to it.

Anyway..here was my experience sniffing Hothouse..before I looked up the notes.

Upon opening, a rich, warm, smooth, sweeter, coconut-y gardenia. Some spice and greens, not sure if spice is from tea-I haven't sniffed Earl Grey in quite a while. However, I do smell spice. Then a green grass note. A natural smelling green note, say a green note from an Annick Goutal or something. Smells like it's part of the gardenia flower or petals. I am not sure if gardenias as a whole have a green note to them. I do get a bit of the green note kind of at the "end" so-to-speak of the gardenia. The very noticeable green note doesn't last too long..but definitely long enough that it will be noticed for a while. Then a woody-green note. Then wood notes. Sweeter scent and woody. The spice comes out a bit more as it dries. Smells like a wood spice. Warm dry down. Musk comes out more as the spices mellows out some...gardenia remains present as it's a soliflore. The gardenia is pretty linear throughout in this scent. It's warm, sweeter and welcoming like the La Violette in the AG pass...though not as sweet as the AG I don't think. This is a bit heavy as it is gardenia..but not as heavy as say, Fracas. Maybe cause no tuberose in there. So a bit heavy and sweet. And I do like heavy and sweet. A warm, sweet, welcoming, intoxicating cloud of gardenia. A little goes a long way with this scent. If one were to buy a full bottle, it would definitely be worth the money for sure.

As this is on the sweeter side..it can definitely be worn very nicely in fall/winter. Since it has green notes..it can be pulled off in the spring, I believe.

After looking up the notes and doing some research...the spice I am getting is possibly from the tea note and from the frankincense, I think. Frankincense is a resin from trees with balsamic spicy notes. Some of the green I am getting is the from the galbanum I think..which is a traditional note to give a natural, green effect to florals such as hyacinth, gardenia, narcissus, iris and violet. Galbanum has verdant notes and balsamic-woody notes come through as it dries down.

Probably re-hash for some of you longer time members here but I learned a few things while sniffing this scent.

Last edited by kalli; 4th October 2012 at 08:24 AM.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

As I'm already anointed in another perfume today, I'll wait until the A.M. to give a test drive of this beautiful (ahem) gardenia scent. Just kidding...I think this may be "the one" that changes my mind about gardenia! Will post my thoughts tomorrow & pass it on. bookhouseshell please pm me your address!

Let me know what you think about it, y'all. I sprayed about a half of a vial I got directly from Ineke and I still am on the fence whether I like this one at all or not
So would love to hear from you all and see whatchya think!

And thank you very much for organizing the pass, Kalli! I am not signing up, just saying thanks and wanting to chat about this fragrance.

So, there are three of us that don't like gardenia, lol. I'll admit..I found myself spraying this as my SOTD not that long ago..but after a while..there's something about the gardenia note in general I find too heavy, thick, way overpowering and it just doesn't agree with me at all. I found myself wanting to wash it off me just cause I really can't hang with gardenia. But there is a lovely part about this scent. I've never even liked a gardenia enough to even spray on me much, so that is saying something about this one. I just can't do gardenia though. However, I really like some things about this..like I said earlier. I want to fully like it..but again, that thick, heavy, creamy in-not-a-good-way gardenia... I can't make the jump.

I said this earlier but I'd love a jasmine version. I know there's Poet's Jasmine..I haven't sniffed it yet but I'd really like a jasmine in that A-H style as I said before. Just cause I think it would be more concentrated, really intoxicating, less reserved..like Hothouse is. I'd also love to see a violet, those could be blind buys almost, lol. I mean, I love jasmine and violet..if she can make a soliflore out of a floral I really can't stand and make it into something sort of appealing to me for a while..well, I think she may blow my socks off with a jasmine or violet. I'd love to see more soliflores. Her lilac in After My Own Heart is well done, imo.

Anymore people wanting to sign? *crickets* lol. If you are thinking about it..do join cause it's wide open and there is juice to be sniffed. Surely there are more people that dig gardenia..even people that don't like gardenia signed up, lol. Kudos to you guys! .

Last edited by kalli; 11th October 2012 at 01:24 AM.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

I decided to wait until I'd returned home for the day before testing out the Hothouse Flower sample, as I wasn't sure it would be something I wanted to share with the outside world. Gardenia & I have never been the best of friends.

My initial reaction was one of hope. This was not the loud, smack in the face scent I had anticipated, but a fairly soft, tea-tinged floral with a crisp edge of greenery. Not so bad! Fairly content to keep the soap & water at bay for the time being, I busied myself with other matters to let the scent develop. A while later I caught a strong whiff of the scent emanating from my arm. Yes, Miss Gardenia has entered the room. At this point the scent is becoming more of a soliflore with the other lovely notes being pushed aside as mere background noise. Hours later now, I never did get the musky, woody drydown I was hoping would round out this scent. No, this is a one-woman show.

While I find her older sister tuberose a bigger offender, gardenia is, for me, a bit like "the drunk girl at the party". Loud, obnoxious & attention-seeking.

Lol..haha, I totally feel ya on those white flowers! I wouldn't want a tuberose soliflore either, ugh, lol. Too bad it didn't work out, ya, I noticed as it developed the gardenia really came out more and I think that's when I wanted to exit.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

I'm back, couldn't resist sharing 1st impressions.
1—spritz onto paper. First whiff is a big cedar chest note, very pleasant. Incense lurks, too.
2—on left forearm, wrist, and elbow crook. The camphorous beginning tells me this is not your typical "hot buttered" gardenia. Instead I am reminded of SL Tubereuse Criminelle, which emphasized methyl salycilate over the creamier tuberose notes. Big sillage, and very strong, a little goes a long way. Now I am getting the fig note, which I recognize from Ralph Hot which I know and wear regularly. Just to check I spray a quick Spritz of Hot onto R wrist. Ralph Hot is an clear oriental with breakfast gourmand tendencies, so it is much sweeter, but the common fig note is unmistakeable. In all honesty, with Tuvache Jungle Gardenia as my reference, the gardenia note here seems nearly secondary. I'm not exactly getting Julie Wilson at the Café Carlyle (her signature was a gardenia in her hair), but I'm not disappointed. This is a heady yet refreshing scent. We shall see what morning brings.

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3—woke up to a faint but discernable drydown. Reapplied. First impression is still a more polite Tubereuse Criminelle in the meeting of camphor (probably the cypress), green notes of the crushed stem sort, and finally the coconut-y gardenia kalli describes. I find it cool rather than warm, still experiencing it as heady yet refreshing. I think this would be a lovely summer's night fragrance.

Will pass on the 30Roses soon.

Thank you kalli!

ps—the bubblegum scratch and sniff cracked me up, as I had just written a capsule review to a friend re: Charbert's Breathless: cyanide and bubblegum (;

I didn't get any fig..but I am not familiar with fig notes. I think the only one I've sniffed is from Womanity..but I only sniffed that a couple of times as I don't care for it at all! lol. Caviar?. Salty and yuk. I didn't know Hot had fig..mmm, I liked Hot for a while there.. didn't like it the last time I sniffed but I may have to re-sniff sometime. I liked Wild for a while too, dug the strawberries.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

Lol..haha, I totally feel ya on those white flowers! I wouldn't want a tuberose soliflore either, ugh, lol. Too bad it didn't work out, ya, I noticed as it developed the gardenia really came out more and I think that's when I wanted to exit.

I'm not quite sure what it is about these powerful ladies that's such a turnoff to me, as I used to absolutely LOVE them. Just too much sensory overload I suppose. Too bad really. It would have been nice to renew my appreciation which I'd hoped this scent would do. I feel like I've turned my back on old friends!

Just received. I think this would be a lovely summer's night fragrance.

This morning, I did spray a little down my cleavage—make that "continental divide". Spent the afternoon in a stuffy sweat-inducing classroom. Waited until I got home to stick my nose down my shirt, needless to say. Sure enough, this fragrance will bloom in the hot weather, it needs a warm body for the waxy part of the gardenia to make its entrance.

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kalli, of the Ralphs, I only liked Hot, the others were too 20-something watery innocuous for me. Ralph is young, too, but with some old-school oriental, just more offbeat. A lot of people smell milk and maple syrup in addition to the fig, thus my appellation "breakfast gourmand."

Like previously mentioned, it opens up very promisingly. Sharp greens with a smell of dirt: must be the galbanum and earl grey tea. Then, like Genie Jeanie pointed out the drunken, attention seeking gardenia has arrived. To be fair, it is not as obnoxious as some other gardenias, but gardenia it is. She quickly took over a party: kicked the DJ out, cleared the dance floor, ate all condiments and finished everyone's drinks after which she hiccuped some boring musk. It's just too bad that the greens didn't persist and gardenia took over; if they did, it would have been very interesting perfume.

Well, I just tried on Bronze Goddess by EL without reading the notes first, LOL. Cause LOL and behold, lots of gardenia(tiare to be exact). I was like ooooh coconut then oh no gardenia! I just remember coconut was in that one and I just spritzed away lol. So, ya..lesson learned. Anyway, my point is is that Bronze Goddess reminds me of Hothouse a lot. Lighter than HF but some similarities for sure.

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

Sample arrived on Saturday, but I've been really busy with family birthdays & my mother in town, so haven't had a chance to post. For the record, I do like big white flowers, but my nose isn't discerning enough to tell which one I'm smelling. Chantecailles Petalia was absolutely amazing for me, I really like vtg White Shoulders, AG Gardenia Passion & Chanel's, but I've never really done a full-on note bonanza or anything.

With that being said, the first couple hours with HF were not really pleasant. While BWF immediately hit the scene, she came without creamy, buttery, smooth, heady or green that I like her with. Instead there was a strange, intense pulsating spice accompaniment that was overpowering, flat & quite off-putting. Strange, I generally like spicy, but this particular combo was just WRONG! The way it smelled on me for a couple hours (which did not develop at all) was reminiscent in tone somehow to stuff my 13 yo daughter wears, modern & synthetic. All that being said, hours later the annoying smell does fade, leaving a quite pleasant & pretty drydown. I don't think I could go through the beginning to get to the end though, just not worth it.

Thanks so much to Kalli & Genie Jeanie. I will be passing sample on today or tomorrow. Calilove, could you PM your addy to me?

Sample arrived on Saturday, but I've been really busy with family birthdays & my mother in town, so haven't had a chance to post. For the record, I do like big white flowers, but my nose isn't discerning enough to tell which one I'm smelling. Chantecailles Petalia was absolutely amazing for me, I really like vtg White Shoulders, AG Gardenia Passion & Chanel's, but I've never really done a full-on note bonanza or anything.

With that being said, the first couple hours with HF were not really pleasant. While BWF immediately hit the scene, she came without creamy, buttery, smooth, heady or green that I like her with. Instead there was a strange, intense pulsating spice accompaniment that was overpowering, flat & quite off-putting. Strange, I generally like spicy, but this particular combo was just WRONG! The way it smelled on me for a couple hours (which did not develop at all) was reminiscent in tone somehow to stuff my 13 yo daughter wears, modern & synthetic. All that being said, hours later the annoying smell does fade, leaving a quite pleasant & pretty drydown. I don't think I could go through the beginning to get to the end though, just not worth it.

Thanks so much to Kalli & Genie Jeanie. I will be passing sample on today or tomorrow. Calilove, could you PM your addy to me?

Too bad you didn't care for this one either, bookhouseshell. I think the notes you hated were the only ones I liked! It's fun to join in these passes for the different interpretations, even if the scent doesn't seem to get a lot of love. Thanks for the review!

Kalli, thanks so much for spearheading this. I love a gal who takes charge.

First off, confession: I've never smelled a real gardenia. However, I'm lead to believe Mike Storer's Stephanie is a fairly good and green rendition, even if it is only selectively popular. I like it a lot, but only for a quick visit now, or else it wears out its welcome because I've overdosed in the past.

I love florals overall, and the first time I saw the word "hothouse," my imagination suckered me in. Who doesn't love a hothouse, greenhouse or botanical dome? I don't know (yet) how the green notes, fig and frankincense play in to this composition, but those are favorites, so that's all good. Like, 30 Roses, I haven't found "me" in any of the Ineke frags yet, but I haven't disliked what I've sampled, and can honestly recommend the lilac-y After My Own Heart, and I love the looks of Ineke's former and current website.

No hurry, Cestrum Nocturnum. I look forward to reading what you perceive

Originally Posted by jujy54

I did spray a little down my cleavage—make that "continental divide".

Oh, jujy, that's a good line (I'm going to steal).

In a world where 6 million people are added each month, every landscape matters.

I agree with Genie Jeanie that those green notes were the only ones I liked too. If there was more of them and less of gardenia and musk, I would consider a bottle. So far, after Goutal pass and the Hothouse I still prefer gardenias on a bush.

Would a nursery in your area carry them? We have one here in town that always carries the plants in the winter, and there are usually several in bloom; I sometimes visit the nursery in hopes of having a whiff. I really love the blooms.

We even bought a plant one year, but found that their reputation for being finicky was well founded, and we couldn't get it to produce any more flowers...it finally died. (I'm sure I just didn't take good enough care of it.)

Edit:
My mail today brought me a surprise sample from Rodney at the Creed Boutique in NYC: Fleurs de Gardenia, a 2006 scent that I had not smelled before. Apparently they are expecting some in next week, if there is anyone out there that wants to know. I have it dabbed on the back of both wrists. This is very sweet-- too sweet for me to wear.

hello gardenia lovers, i am new here on this post and the only reason why am here is because i have in my possession a bottle from 1935 unopened called gardenia charbert the oz are over 12oz for sure i would say close to 20 oz but it does not say on the label. now i have been searching all over the internet and it seems that this is the only one in existence. my question is how much would something like this be worth since is a one of a kind from a very beloved perfume back in the days. can any one help me, is driving me nuts, i believe is a real treasure but since i don't know much about it maybe am wrong. please comment and share any knowledge that you may have about this precious bottle.

Thank you.

Last edited by Gardeniacharbert1935; 26th October 2012 at 06:45 AM.
Reason: giving thanks

You could do a search specifically for "Charbert Gardenia" and then save the search so that if any are listed, you get an email. Watch the listing and when it ends, if it sells, you will get an idea of the value.

However, if I were you, I would just search for Charbert (not specifying Gardenia) because it's possible that one of their other fragrances may have been bottled similarly, and then you'd get a better idea of whether the bottle increased the sale price of the perfume.

thank you for your reply, I have done some searching on ebay and several other sites but no answer on a gardenia charbert perfume, even on google, all I was able to find is when it was created not even a picture to show reference, all the other charbert perfums on sale are plenty of. the gardenia on the other hand is to say the least extinct and I honestly believe I hold the last bottle in existence. maybe there are others out there, but not on the net. I do not know if there was a replica created under another name which is the reason why I turned to this post. maybe someone out there knows something that I don't know and that I have been unable to find in this vast internet. :-)

The value is whatever people have demonstrated they are willing to pay to own it. As you are the most recent purchaser, that value was set by you.

If you should sell it, the value will be set by your buyer-- and you won't know what it is until you succeed in selling it. This is why many people use completed auction listings to find out the current value of unusual/rare collectibles.

The funny thing about eBay is that rare items are listed all the time. Collectors die, or get tired of owning something, or decide they need the money more. Or someone's grandmother passes on and the family sells off the unwanted parts of her estate. So keep looking; eventually you may find an answer to your question. (I am assuming you are a collector; if you are hoping to sell it and are wondering what to list it for, use a reserve to ensure you don't lose money on the sale, or start the auction at the least you would be happy to get for it.)

kalli, group 1's sample is still with jujy, who has a lot going on right now. Perhaps it would take pressure off her if she could just keep that sample. You could send another sample to me, which I will then send on to Twolf, if you didn't mind.

Whitefluffy, thank you so much for your support and posting on my behalf. I will be mailing out tomorrow to Quarry. (I’ll add delivery confirmation so we can track it—fingers crossed for a safe and quick trip!) And thank you Quarry for being so patient and understanding! My mom is now staying with us for a while and I have taken her to see two more specialists at a world class medical center, and we have appointment for one more at this point. I am going to rush this a bit, so I am just posting my notes on the perfume; that is probably easier to read than my usual hypergraphic ramblings anyway! Lol…

Hothouse Flowers by Ineke
- Immediately reminds me of White Shoulders, in a good way
- Green
- Spicy
- Not really gardenia
- Ginger flower
- Soapy—galbanum?
- Plumeria
- Pine, salicylates, resins ??? (maybe this was the cypress…)
- Bergamot- herbal type not too citric
- Pikake- jasmine, sort of sharp
o Then sweetness
o Echoes of Child -- a tiny bit
o Indian jasmine soap
- Mellows more, even more like jasmine soap now
- Sandalwood—old school, sweet, creamy
- Becomes more gardenia like after 10-15 minutes on my skin
- Little bit of glue and dirt
- Becomes more creamy and realistic. Nice gardenia. Not too cloying or fake. Resin and coolness gives a reality to it. Not too much… or overpowering
o can appreciate this take on gardenia
- (after looking at notes: Maybe earthy weird green is corn silk?)
- Grows a little more woody
- Gets a little sweeter and stronger after 30 min
- A little more powder
- becomes a little cheaper smelling
- After an hour is really cheap smelling and yukky.
- Musk, sharp synth floral, and synth wood
o Very drugstore or bad designer smelling, so cheap, so sad
- Drydown ruins the scent for me
- Can see the comparison to EL Bronze Goddess in drydown
o Funny, found the Sweet William drydown to be reminiscent of EL Sensuous or The One Gentleman, this one is like another dept store frag too
- From the two Ineke fragrances that I have tested, have not liked drydown in either, and both felt cheap and badly constructed. Disappointing, as dd lasts longest.
- If not for the bad drydown, would perhaps consider buying for interesting jasmine(s)and very nice gardenia. Drydown is intolerable.
-
- After reviewing notes again: No fig (or coconutty fig) to my nose. Maybe fig in coumarin thing… ? Like fig leaf? No tea, but perhaps the citric bergamot thing may have been the Earl Grey note. I did not sense any frankincense or absinth in a noticeable way.

Loved Genie Jeanie’s description of gardenia being the party girl-- My tomboy, scent eating skin smacks down (or shames?!?) the loud, obnoxious party girl, lol! She is quiet with me. LOL’d at WF’s continuation of the party girl metaphor—unfortunately, I do know someone like that… ick. So glad this did not bring that impression to mind!

A big *Thank You* to Kalli for sharing these samples and organizing the sample pass!